Storage-battery installation



y c. H. BEDELL. SORAGE BATTERY INSALLATIUN.

APPLICATION FILED DC. 22. lglb.

2 SHEETS -SHiE I Patented Aug. 1%), lJlJ.

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ATTORNEYS.

C. H. BEDELL.

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2 SII HE /IW a VENTOR. kfmm- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. BEDELL, F NEW LONISON, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO ELECTRIC BOAT COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

STORAGE-BATTERY INSTALLATION.

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, (Mannes H. BEDELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at New. London, countyV of New Loudon, and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Storage- Battery Installations; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear; and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it aplpertains to make and use the same.

T is invention relates to storage battery installations and is directed particularly to the provision of au improved construction for such an installation whereby gases generated 4within the battery are diluted and carried oil, whereby overheating of a cell is guarded against, and whereby evaporation of the electrolyte is reduced to a minimum. The invention is adapted for use in storag batteries of variousl constructions and for 'various uses, but it is of special tility in the storage batteries of submarine oats. In an application for Letters Patent tiled by me and Grant E. Edgar on November 30, 1915, Serial Number 64,380, a. process of and apparatus for trcatinv storage battery installations is describe involving establishing a current of air which is subdivided into a plurality of streams, one for each cell of the battery. and mixing;r each stream ot air with the gases from the corresponding cell, while keeping the stream of air-out of contact with the electrolyte in thecell. so that the gases are diluted by being mixed with air and are carried oil' from the battery by the air. By this process and apparatus, the gases generated within a cell are rendered 40 innocuous by being diluted with air, but the current of air employed for this purpose does not come into direct contact with the electrolyte and therefore the evaporation of the electrolyte is very much less than it 46 otherwise would be.

The present invention is directed to the' provision of an improved construction for practising the process described in the application above referred to. This apparatus 60 is distinctive in that the air employed for diluting and carrying oiI the battery gases is carried directly intofthe Several cells, as has been the comdo practice in batteries for submarine loats"'as heretofore con- Bpecication of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 19, 1919.

Application led December 22, 1916. Serial 110,135,366.

structed. rThis air. however, is not permitted 'to come into direct contact with the surface are therefore free to mix wit-h the current of air, thou h the latter does not pass d1- rectly over t 1e surface of the electrolyte.

Any suitable form of diaphragm may be employed for accomplishing the purposes above set forth, and various means may be employedfor mounting the diaphragm in position. I prefer, however, to employ a (iaphragm consisting of a sheet 'of wood veneer. andto sustain this in osition by mounting' it upon the termina gposts by which electrical connection is made through the cover of a, cell'about the plates immersed in the electrolyte.

lith a multiplicity of cells constructed in this manner, the current of air established for carryingr oli the battery ases is subdivided into al multiplicity `o streams, one for each cell, and each stream of,air passes into the corresponding cell, 'across the space at the top thereof and then out, the several streams being` united after passing through Atheir respective cells in a diet which leads tothe exterior. Each strea of air takes up the gas within its cell, dilxites it and car ries it off; 4but while 'passing through the upper portion of the cell, the stream of air does not contact directly with the surface of the electrolyte and therefore evaporation of the electrolyte is minimized.

TheV invention will be better understood by referring to the` following description taken in connection with the accompanyingr drawings which show one f'orrn in which the invention may be utilized. It will be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to any one. forni, but on' the contrary may be utilized in storage battery cells dii-lering widely as to their structural characteristics.

- each of these conductors 11 is in 1n these drawings, FigureQ-l is`a vertical provided with a protective hood 16. A 55 section of a storage battery cell, the line of the section beingindicated by the line 1-1 on Fig. 2, and Fig. 2 is a plan view, broken Mi'cular plug away and sectioned in part, of the cell shown/ in Fig. 1.

Referring to diese drawings, the cell consists of a casing 3 within which are mountedA a plurality of positive and negative plates -l and 5. These plates are mounted within the casing in any suitable manner, such, for instance, as that indicated involving -the provision of lu s 6 nt the upper ends of the side edges of t e plates bearing onrails 7 secured to the sides of the caslng 3. The plates 4 and 5 are immersed in an electrolyte 8 which Vis preferably maintained at the level-indicated in Fig. 1, though in practice tholevel of the electrolyte falls substantially below' that indicated and periodic replenishment is necessary. lectrical connection to the plates 4 and 5 is made through terminal posts 9 and 10. Preferably all of thejposl ti-ve plat@h and all of the negative lates or all of certain gronpswof these p ates are connected to transverse conductors 11 and "l with one or more of the terminal posts and 410. In the drawings, one conductor' 11 is shown as connected to all of the positive plates and lanother one to all of the negative plates, and

each of these conductors 11 is secured to or in 1 with thm tei-misti page 9 and 1o 'whic extend upwardl through openingszin the cover 12 of the cel Each terminal poet 9 and 10' is secured to the oover'12 by meansA of a lock-nut .13 oo-acting with suitable washers. Each of these terminal posts 9,

and 10 ymay be so formed as to considerably extend the surface area of the orti'on of the post located within the cell a ve the le'vel .of the electrolyte therein, thereby lar ly increasing the cooling surface expos l to the air current paing throughthe upper part of the cell. For this purpose each terminal post is shown inthe drawin as provided-with a mutilplicity of thin anges4 14 of substantial size, these flanges being parallel and close together.

`For the' circulation of air through the upper portion of each cell of the battery to cnr-ry o6 .heat and gases develo ed within the cell, each cell is provided wit inlet and outlet o nings through the cover thereof. Prefera ly, the upper ends of the cells enter within an air chamber from which air may pass freely through the inlet openings of the cells to the interior ofthe cells and each outlet opening of a cell is connected to .a duct leading to the exterior of the battery. In the present instance, the cell is shown as provided with four inlet openings each conslstmg of a tube l5 inserted in a threaded.` opening in the cover 12 of therell and each.

single outlet from the cell is arranged at the center of the cover 12 consisting of n` 17 threaded into an opening in-the cover 12, an annular member 1S seated in this plu and a conduit 19 connected to the mem r 18. These parts are so formed as to provide a tortuous passage forair and the carrie-d thereby from the interior of tiie cell through the outlet to the duct19, a plurality of balile plates 20 bei refqrabl provided Within the plug 17. e 'air in ets and the outlet are prefrlitbly B0' located that the air passing through them and through the top of the cell is caused to flow in immediate proximity to the terminal posts 9 and 10 und Over the extended cooling surfaces thereof.

` Thus, by reference to Fig. 2, it will bc seen that there are three of the terminal posts nrranged in line adjacent to opposite sides of the cell and four air inlet openings are provided each arranged between a pair of ndjaoeut'tcrminal posts and on the side thereof awa from the central outlet opening.

i diaphra heretofore referred to is shown' at 21. liis mounted upon the terminal posts 9 and 10 as by utilizing for this purpose the lowest one of the flanges 14 on each of the several posts. The diaphragm 21 is mounted in a horizontal position at about the level l-oif the surface of the electrolytevwhen the cell has been filled to the maximum extent. The diaphragm is provided with a pluralit Vof holes through wliich the electrolyte rlses if the cell is filled to an excesiva extent and through which ases generated within the cell may rise to t e 'upperportion of the cell. The diaphragm is preferably" made from a sheet of wood veneer.

The moving body of air for carrying oli' the gases generated within the cells is established through the inclosed space into which the upper ends of the cells extend. Air passes from this space downthrough the inlets 15 into each of theseveral cells, thereby subdividing the body of air into a plurality of streams, one for each cell. Within the cell the air entering through the inlets 15 passes radially inwardA through the space at the tcp of the cell above the electrolyte therein and the'n paes out through the outlet passage 19. All these passages lead'to a common duet 'by-'which the air and the gases borne thereby pass to the exterior. The gases developed within a ce'll rise to the space at the top of the cell passing through the openings shown in the diaphragm. 21, and these` ses mix with and are diluted by the movlngrbody of air. In the ge of air across the top of the cell, the air does not contact directly with the surface of the electrolyte,

.but is prevented therefrom bythe diaphragm 21, so that evaporatfn of the electrolyte takes place to a relatively emull extent.

l claim: i

L A storage vbattage-y cell havinga easing,

a cover therefor, Yall elec-tmlylte within the 'Y Accll, pilates"inanereedv in the electrolyte,

means forinaking electrical connection to the platee, inlet and outlet openings in the Ycasing of the oeil for the circulation of an' through the upper portion of the cell to 'carry oli' gases rising from the electrolyte, and

t moans for preventing the current of air passing through the u per' portion of the cell ctween the inlet an outlet Jenings from coming in clirert intact w itl e electrolyte, substantially Yae Yclef 'i Y l o 2. A YStora/ge batteryeell having il casing, a cover therefor, an electrolyte With-in the coli, plates iunnereeflV in the electrolyte, means for makingeleetreal connection te the p1ates,` inlet and outlet openings in the caeing` of the cell' for. the circulation of air throughr the upper portion of the cell, and a.

diaphragm moivmlickiiithin the cell near the surface of the electrolyte therein for protecting the surface of the electrolyte from the air flowing through the upper portion of the roll lbetween the inlet and outlet openings, substantially es described. 3. A storage battery cell havingacasing, a cover therefor, an electrolyte within the casing, plates immersed in the electrolyte, ter- V'lninal )ostsextending upward from the CHARLES H. BEDELL.

Witness F. L. BRAKE. 

